Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPH
“We bring a practical approach to mental health research, working to break down barriers between research and real-world health care.”
Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPH
Senior Investigator, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute
Psychiatrist, Washington Permanente Medical Group
Professor, Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
Research Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Gregory.E.Simon@kp.org
206-287-2979
Biography
Greg Simon, MD, MPH, is a psychiatrist and senior investigator well-known for his extensive research on practical approaches to improving mental health care. He seeks to develop and evaluate effective real-world strategies that support better mental health and wellness. Current areas of emphasis include identifying and assessing suicide risk, improving care for treatment-resistant depression, and early intervention for mental health conditions in children and youth.
Dr. Simon leads the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN), a consortium of research centers affiliated with 13 large health systems across the United States, including Kaiser Permanente Washington. This network, funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Mental Health, aims to improve the efficiency, relevance, and impact of mental health clinical and health services research. Now in its second five-year funding cycle, the MHRN is exploring a broad range of issues—including suicide prevention, improving heart health in people with serious mental illness, using electronic medical records to improve follow-up care for depression, and understanding the causes of racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care.
Dr. Simon and his MHRN colleagues are conducting several large studies across MHRN health systems, including:
- A pragmatic trial in four health systems examining the effect of systematic outreach programs to prevent suicide attempt among people at high risk.
- Using electronic health records from seven health systems to develop and validate machine learning models to identify people at high risk of suicidal behavior.
- A pragmatic trial in two health systems evaluating electronic health record tools to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
- A rigorous evaluation of Zero Suicide care improvement programs in six health systems
- Developing measures to assess quality of care for depression in two health systems.
Dr. Simon is an editor for the Cochrane Collaboration’s depression and anxiety review group, sits on the editorial board for General Hospital Psychiatry, and serves on the advisory board for the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Program (formerly Precision Medicine Initiative). Earlier, he served on the editorial boards of Psychiatric Services and Psychological Medicine and chaired the scientific advisory board for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Dr. Simon has practiced adult psychiatry in Kaiser Permanente Washington's Mental Health and Wellness Service since 1990 and is a research professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington.
Research interests and experience
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Mental Health
Depression; bipolar disorder; suicide prevention; self-management; treatment adherence
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Chronic Illness Management
Comorbidity of mental health conditions with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and substance use disorders.
Recent publications
Ludman EJ, Simon GE, Grothaus LC, Richards J, Whiteside U, Stewart C. Organized self-management support services for chronic depressive symptoms: a randomized controlled trial. Psychiatr Serv. 2016 Jan 1;67(1):29-36. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201400295. Epub 2015 Aug 17. PubMed
Arterburn D, Sofer T, Boudreau DM, Bogart A, Westbrook EO, Theis MK, Simon G, Haneuse S. Long-Term Weight Change after Initiating Second-Generation Antidepressants. LID - 10.3390/jcm5040048 [doi] LID - E48 [pii] J Clin Med. 2016 Apr 13;5(4). pii: E48. doi: 10.3390/jcm5040048. PubMed
Simon GE, Beck A, Rossom R, Richards J, Kirlin B, King D, Shulman L, Ludman EJ, Penfold R, Shortreed SM, Whiteside U. Population-based outreach versus care as usual to prevent suicide attempt: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2016 Sep 15;17(1):452. doi: 10.1186/s13063-016-1566-z. PubMed
Simon GE. PBRNs or RBPNs or both? Psychiatr Serv. 2015;66(11):1129. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.661102. PubMed
Simon GE, Rossom RC, Beck A, Waitzfelder BE, Coleman KJ, Stewart C, Operskalski B, Penfold RB, Shortreed SM. Antidepressants are not overprescribed for mild depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2015 Dec;76(12):1627-32. doi: 10.4088/JCP.14m09162. PubMed
Haneuse S, Bogart A, Jazic I, Westbrook EO, Boudreau D, Theis MK, Simon GE, Arterburn D. Learning about missing data mechanisms in electronic health records-based research: a survey-based approach. Epidemiology. 2016 Jan;27(1):82-90. Epub 2015 Oct 19. PubMed
Simon GE, Coleman KJ, Waitzfelder BE, Beck A, Rossom RC, Stewart C, Penfold RB. Adjusting antidepressant quality measures for race and ethnicity. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015 Sep 9:1-2. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.1437. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Owen-Smith A, Stewart C, Green C, Ahmedani BK, Waitzfelder BE, Rossom R, Copeland LA, Simon GE. Adherence to common cardiovascular medications in patients with schizophrenia vs. patients without psychiatric illness. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2016 Jan-Feb;38:9-14. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2015.07.010. Epub 2015 Jul 30. PubMed
Larson EB, Tachibana C, Thompson E, Coronado GD, DeBar L, Dember LM, Honda S, Huang SS, Jarvik JG, Nelson C, Septimus E, Simon G, Johnson KE. Trials without tribulations: minimizing the burden of pragmatic research on healthcare systems. Healthc (Amst). 2016 Sep;4(3):138-41. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2015.07.005. Epub 2015 Jul 29. PubMed
Ahmedani BK, Stewart C, Simon GE, Lynch F, Lu CY, Waitzfelder BE, Solberg LI, Owen-Smith AA, Beck A, Copeland LA, Hunkeler EM, Rossom RC, Williams K. Racial/ethnic differences in health care visits made before suicide attempt across the United States. Med Care. 2015;53(5):430-5. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000335. PubMed
Research
Suicide attempts decreased after adding suicide care to primary care
Safety planning and risk screening improved outcomes for adult patients.
Research
Can machine learning help treat depression more effectively?
A new grant funds modeling work to make personalized treatment possible.
Research
Understanding adoption of Lock to Live, a decision aid supporting suicide prevention
KPWHRI research finds ways to increase use of a firearm safety tool.
Research
A medication that can relieve symptoms of psychosis is underused
Study finds that many patients who might benefit from clozapine don’t receive it.
Research
Improving and advancing mental health care
KPWHRI researchers are contributing to better mental health care for people nationwide.
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